- Circana reports suggest that more players are unsubscribing Xbox Game Pass, PS Plus, and Switch Online subscriptions due to price concern.
- The price concern reports for cancellation saw a 40% hike from Q1 to Q3.
- Recently all three subscriptions had price hikes, and they plan to bring more changes in the coming months.
A new report shows that Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions are being cancelled due to rising costs. All three subscriptions had price hikes recently, which has propelled many to cancel their game subscriptions.
The report from Circana shows that cost is becoming a stronger driving factor for subscription cancellation in the US. Over 40% of the cancellations in Q3, compared to Q1, have mentioned price as the major driving factor. With large gaming platforms looking to create a more profitable subscription model, raising the cost may end up backfiring for them.
New reports also suggest that Xbox Game Pass will remove day-one games starting next year. PlayStation Plus subscription is also expected to have another price hike soon. All of this hints that the subscription model is going to see massive changes in the coming years.
Personally, I have always been an advocate of buying games instead of subscription models. However, indeed, those who play a ton of games every month can greatly benefit from such models. One thing I can agree on is that the current system is definitely lacking, both for consumers and corporations.
But raising prices may not be the correct thing to do unless more value is added to the service. A previous Circana report had also revealed the steep decline in Physical game sales in the US, which is likely why Sony decided to stop making physical games.
Hopefully, the gaming platforms will start changing their decision based on this report as well. They must add more cheaper subscription options, albeit with fewer games, but with more value. Instead of adding games that no one wants to play, adding games that have a good player base can draw in large subscriptions.
What is your take on all of this? Let us know in the comments section below whether you are subscribed to any of these platforms.
